LE DRAGON"
(_See page 28_) _Frontispiece_

"THE EXECUTIONER IN HIS AGITATION DROPPED HIS AXE" 20

"WE FLOATED AWAY OVER THE ROOFS OF THE HOUSES" 38

"SHIN SHIRA PLACED THEM IN THE CRYSTAL BOWL" 58

"HIS PINIONS WERE STRONG AND MIGHTY" 108

"THIS WAS CAREFULLY SET BEFORE THE KING" 138

MYSTERY NO. I

SHIN SHIRA APPEARS

It was very remarkable how I first came to make his acquaintance at all.
Shin Shira I mean. I had been sitting at my desk, writing, for quite a
long time, when suddenly I heard, as I thought, a noise in another part
of the room. I turned my head hastily and looked towards the door, but
it was fast closed and there was apparently nobody in the room but
myself.

"Strange!" I murmured, looking about to try and discover what had caused
the sound, and then my eyes lighted, to my great surprise, upon a pair
of bright yellow morocco shoes with very long, pointed toes, standing on
the floor in front of a favourite little squat chair of mine which I
call "the Toad."

I gazed at the yellow shoes in amazement, for they certainly did not
belong to me, and they had decidedly not been there a short time before,
for I had been sitting in the chair myself.

I had just got up to examine them, when, to my utter astonishment, I saw
a pair of yellow stockings appearing above them; an instant later, a
little yellow body; and finally, the quaintest little head that I have
ever seen, surmounted by a yellow turban, in the front of which a large
jewel sparkled and shone.

It was not the turban, however, but the face beneath it which claimed my
greatest attention, for the eyes were nearly starting out of the head
with fright, and the expression was one of the greatest anxiety.

It gave way, however, to reassurance and content directly the little man
had given a hurried glance round the room, and he sank comfortably down
into "the Toad" with a sigh of relief.

"Phew!" he exclaimed, drawing out a little yellow fan from his sleeve
and fanning himself vigorously, "that _was_ a narrow squeak! I really
don't think that I've been in such a tight corner before for two hundred
years at least." And he tucked his fan away again and beamed upon me
complacently.

I was so astounded at the sudden appearance of this remarkable little
personage that for the m